TROGIR, CROATIA – Even worse than spending long, hot days in the boatyard, preparing Geja for a summer sailing voyage, is getting her ready to spend the winter out of the water. I’ve allowed myself three full days before hopping on a night bus to Zagreb and flying back home to San Francisco. I’m a guy that needs deadlines, but are three days enough?
(Sunday, August 21) On my own again. My leg Six crew, Big Steve and Lukas, left this afternoon, but not before helping me out big-time with removing and folding Geja’s sails. Needing an efficient place to do boat work, I
splurged on a spot in the marina for the night, as I wasn’t allowed to use the town quay and the guys that watch over Geja during the winter had no room in their service area. While dismantling various parts of the boat, a neighboring sailor came by to invite me on his boat for a cold beer. I accepted, of course, and was soon enjoying a great chat with the middle-aged German couple. How nice it would be to stick around in their comfortable cockpit downing cold beers, but I excused myself, anxious to continue the winter
preparations. Later, the Germans returned offering me dinner. Such nice people!
(Monday, August 22) Check out time from the marina is 2pm, at which time I’d have to drop anchor out in the bay, so I spent the morning focusing on tasks that require, for example, lots of fresh water. Everything that came into contact with salt water, such as lines and snorkeling gear, was washed and rinsed. Fully into cleaning mode, I even scrubbed out the little storage areas in the cockpit coamings, something I hadn’t really done during the first three seasons. With the clock clicking past 2pm, I was on overtime, nervous that I would
be told to leave immediately or cough up another 60 euros to stick around another night. It is so comfortable to be tied to a dock, with unlimited fresh water and the ability to walk on and off with ease. The alternative was to untie and drop anchor about 100 meters away. Stayed in the marina for as long as I could today, even sneaking in one more beer with the Germans. Finally, before being scolded, I motored over to the anchorage at around 6pm, where I spent the evening straightening out Geja’s interior.
Took the dinghy in for a badly needed shower at the marina, then took a stroll and a cold beer down to the Trogir Hostel. Marin, the owner, and his staff are always so nice to me. And what a treat to just kick back on their
sofa in an air-conditioned room with the TV on! Later I wandered into town – by dinghy, of course, across the channel. Still August, the place buzzes with life, and sometimes you just gotta have an ice cream.
(Tuesday, August 23) Only two full days left, and Geja is still in the water. First thing tomorrow morning, she will be hauled out. Did a laundry run, including the sheets, which means that I’ll be moving into the hostel tonight. It’s convenient, and actually kinda fun, to deliver my luggage to the hostel by dinghy, where it is just a few steps from the quay. The weather has been absolutely hot this week, so I ducked into an internet café for an hour during the afternoon. Winter preparations went well today, and during a gorgeous sunset I toted my luggage to the hostel. As it’s my final night to hang out in Trogir, I went into town again to soak up the summer vacation feeling. I first joined Marin, the hostel owner, for a couple of shots of Pelinkovac at Monaco. Marin’s hostel has always been my home base at the beginning and end of each season. He is such a nice and helpful, in great contrast to the
surliness that one often encounters in Croatia. So generous is Marin that he not only bought the drinks, but comp’d my nights at the hostel. Left Monaco on my own, crossing the bridge into the old town for dinner, in this case a cevapi, a kind of Croatian street food and excellent California burrito substitute. Took it to a café for a chair and a beer. Trogir is such a chill place to be, with great cafes on the waterfront and views of an ever-changing lineup of megayachts. Finally returned to the hostel to get some sleep, while Geja lay unattended out in the anchorage.
(Wednesday, August 24) Final day! To make my 9am haulout appointment, I set the alarm for 7:30am. Took the dinghy out to Geja, where I found that she survived
the night alone unscathed. Motored her into the boatyard and under the crane, where I made some final preparations before the staff hoisted her out of the water. It’s always interesting to see her high and dry, floating through the air with seawater dripping from the keel. Spent the next 10 hours cranking away, getting Geja ready to stand on land for the next 10 months. By 8pm I was able to leave the boatyard for the hostel, where I did my final packing and departed on foot to the bus station. I’ve got a 6:45am flight in the morning from Zagreb, a five-hour bus ride away. Until this evening, it had been unclea
r as to when the overnight bus actually arrives in Zagreb. Would I make my flight? Precise bus information isn’t easily accessible in Croatia, so I hung out with a cevapi at the Trogir bus station until I could speak directly to a driver. He suggested that I ride with him into Split, from where a colleague’s bus would take me to the capitol. In Split, I boarded the Zagreb bus with assurance that we’d reach the destination in time for me to get a bus to the airport. Off we drove, as I tried my best to sleep.
(Thursday, August 25) Buses are not meant for sleeping, at least not on the curvy Croatian coastal roads. I tried my best, but still managed to notice the bus passing Primosten
and Sibenik, places that I had just visited during the voyage. Slept somewhat better once we reached the freeway. Finally, on schedule, we pulled into Zagreb at 4:50am, as promised. At 5am I was on the airport bus, and at 5:20 I was in the terminal, 85 minutes prior to my flight. Perfect! A few hours later, I was boarding an A380 from Paris to San Francisco, sitting in the upper deck. What a treat to fly in this relatively new, and absolutely massive, aircraft. Exactly 24 hours after my travels began, I touched down in San Francisco, still just Thursday afternoon due to the nine-hour time change.
That brings to a conclusion another awesome Mediterranean voyage. 13 adventurous old and new friends joined as we covered 700 nautical miles up and down Croatia’s central coast, 46% of the distance by sail power alone. Geja performed with nary a glitch, quite a feat for a 36-year old boat with a 25-year old motor. It was a bit different to sail for only six weeks, and only along one country’s coast. Prior years saw as many as 12 weeks and five countries in a single summer. But the longer voyages just aren’t sustainable, especially as the “once in a lifetime” argument loses credibility. The answer to the perennial question, “Will you do it again next year?”, is losing its suspense. There are two options, sell or sale, and there are no plans to put her on the market.